The Skillman Foundation

*steps to the mic*

We did it. We are rounding that last base and heading with relief toward the end of this year. I’ve been so moved by how many have tuned into work being done in Detroit, at The Skillman Foundation, and especially by our wide-ranging, incredible partners.

For those who are just tuning in, please allow me to introduce who we are.

The Skillman Foundation stands ten toes down for Detroit youth. All day, every day. We’ve done so for over 65 years. Detroit has changed dramatically in that time. We’ve seen tremendous losses; we’ve seen tremendous gains. We don’t claim credit or shirk responsibility. We are in it with our partners and neighbors, and in it for the long haul.

We are unapologetic in our belief that public education is the fastest, most direct route for any child, anywhere, to design their own destiny.

We believe this because evidence proves this out. And here in our proudly purple state of Michigan, most people, no matter what side of the aisle, know this too. Nine out of ten Michigan students attend public schools. We know that successful schooling leads to better health outcomes, stronger work outcomes, and a lifelong ability to keep learning. We understand what successful schooling looks like by listening to students, educators, administrators, and more. Designing for and with people is more than a value; it builds essential buy-in for systems change on the front end and ultimately creates more efficient, effective, and productive outcomes every time.

The other thing you should know about us at The Skillman Foundation is that we know real change takes everyone. Our partners are seeing huge gains in the teaching field, are leading groundbreaking efforts around special education financing, are finding innovative ways to raise revenue for schools, and are putting forth future-forward curriculum ideas. We need educators and afterschool providers to be at the table. We need business leaders, community organizers, and faith leaders to lend important perspectives. We need families and parents to make sure public policy works in the real world. And we absolutely need youth. The Skillman Foundation has young minds on our board of trustees and on our youth council. If you invite us to come and speak, we will often ask if we can send a young person instead. It isn’t performative. It’s real. We have been educated by young people, and we are better for it.

In fact, we know that it will take a constellation of people to get us to the world we want for our children and youth. We cast a very wide net here at The Skillman Foundation. This is critical. If ensuring public systems evolve and operate at their highest capacity only required money, this would have been solved long ago. This can’t be changed by one person, one company, one political party, or one foundation.   

And equity? That word that’s suddenly taboo? Well, mic check, one two, one two…

We are proud to center it in our work. Working in Detroit, in public schools, ignoring racial equity would work against our mission to support Detroit youth. Centering equity means using honest data and proven methods to ensure those who need resources most receive them in the ways they need them.

Finally, we know we aren’t for everyone.

People get big mad if you want to work with lots of different people, if you want to work on racial equity, if you want to center youth, and if you work on hairy, complex issues without over-simplified solutions and finger-pointing.

But we aren’t afraid of that. Why? Because we work with the pure brilliance and hard-earned resilience of Detroiters.

So welcome. We welcome those who enter angry and skeptical too. Get on in here! We’ve got work to do together.

To recap:

• We stand ten toes down for Detroit youth. This will not change.
• We stand ten toes down with our partners in Detroit and across Michigan and admire all of the ways they have tried and will continue to try to change the world for the better.
• We work for and with young people.
• And finally, we stand ten toes down in our commitment to equity, racial equity, and the understanding that when we design for those who need the most support, we move further and faster for all.

As we end the year, we have never been more fortified or clear-eyed than we are today. After all, we are in Detroit, a city where public school enrollment is growing, graduation rates are increasing, students are recovering faster than anywhere else in the state from Covid learning loss, where the city population is growing, where the Moody rating is upgrading, and where we just elected our first Black woman mayor, who is a genius, by the way.

So as we move into 2026, let’s move education forward. Let’s do it with the people. We trust families, students, and educators because they have always carried the wisdom, courage, and imagination needed to guide us all forward.

Dear community, you are the compass. You show us what’s possible when we listen closely, when we stand together, and when we refuse to settle for anything less than a future worthy of our young people. If we stay rooted in each other, there is no limit to the future we can shape.

Here’s to embracing the good, the kind, the real, and the possible.

Together,
Angelique